CPU speed problem

I've had my pc for 2 years, and it's worked great!
HP Pavilion
AMD 3700+ 2.2ghz
1 gig of ram
ATI Radeon X1300
200 gig hdd

Only problem is....recently I've seen that in the system panel its only operating at 984 mhz....any idea what happened? I've tried resetting BIOS settings to default, also in BIOS it says its running at 2.2 ghz before I startup my pc...I've done 2 reformats on my system...and right now all I have installed is ATI drivers and Steam so I can play Counter Strike: Source.
I've checked with a real-time CPU monitor called CPU-z....my pc is running fine...I would just like to know why it says that.

Help is appreciated!

 

I've found out that everytime I run a program...the system panel changes what it says...I started my pc up...and it was 2.1 ghz...then ran internet....1.77 ghz....then ran mp3 rocket....984 mhz with no drop at all.....any clue?

 

What we have here is the AMD equivilent of Intel's "SpeedStep Technology" where the CPU's speed is increased or decreased based on what's needed at the time. When you first boot, the CPU will be at max speed as all the start-up programs are running and loading, after that, if PC is just sitting there, idle, the CPU speed is slowed down for numerous reasons: it reduces the workload which keeps temps low which increases the CPU's lifespan. This is quite normal, and I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless you go to play World of Warcraft and the CPU stays at 984mhz....

hd2k

BTW- I think this is called "Cool-n-Quiet" by AMD and you can find more info there (http://ati.amd.com) or maybe go to http://www.hp.com and check the support/tech FAQ's....

 

I once had an 1800 +, and after almost a year, the machine would only boot if it was underclocked to around 1300. The dipstick who built the machine said it was because I only had a 1300 installed. I showed him the reciept where he charged me for an 1800, and flat out said you are either an idiot or a thief, which is it? My processor was dying, but they refused to do anything. I called AMD, and they sent me a new processor that day. Problem solved.

 

I found out, my pc does NOT like the automatic updates anymore....oh well, bunch of shoddy xp updates wont make a big difference I guess.